In defeat, Andre Johnson shines with 2 scores

He only finished with 37 receiving yards, but Andre Johnson still managed to produce a pair of “wow” moments during Sunday’s loss at Arizona.

With 5:55 left in the opening quarter, Johnson pulled down a 7-yard Case Keenum pass and tapped both feet in bounds on the right sideline for a score. With 4:34 remaining in regulation, he went up and reeled in a deflection off Arizona’s Patrick Peterson, again bringing both feet down in bounds for a score.

“Those were two of the best catches I’ve ever seen in my life,” Keenum said. “Those were incredible. I can’t even describe it. You have to watch it to see how awesome those catches are.”

Interim head coach Wade Phillips took it a step further.

“How terrific is he?” Phillips said. “He can make fantastic plays. That’s why he’s going to be a Hall of Famer one of these days. He’s such a tremendous competitor, not just ability, but he’s a great competitor. I’m glad we’ve got him on our team.”

For Johnson, though, it was just a matter of taking advantage of a pair of chances Keenum gave him.

“I always just try to make the best of my opportunities,” Johnson said. “He gave me an opportunity with the ball. I was able to make the plays on them.”

All touchdowns are reviewed with instant replay, and the officials took a little extra time making sure Johnson’s feet were in bounds. Whether or not he scored was never in question for Johnson.

“I knew my feet were in,” Johnson said. “That’s something I work on a lot, keeping my feet inbounds when I make catches. I never had any doubt about it.”

On the day, Johnson was targeted 12 times by Keenum, and he came down with five receptions. His longest was a 14-yarder early in the second quarter, and that drive would result in a Keenum to Ryan Griffin 2-yard scoring strike. Johnson was covered by third-year cornerback Patrick Peterson, who was highly complimentary of the Texans’ pass-catcher.

“The thing all great receivers have in common is the will to get the ball,” Peterson said. “Having great body control, strong hands, and field awareness, as you saw today.”

For Johnson, though, the two scores weren’t enough to overcome the sting of the team’s seventh consecutive loss. And despite falling to 2-7, Johnson was focused on helping the team get back in the win column.

“We put ourselves in this position,” Johnson said. “There’s no reason to sit around and whine about it. Nothing we can do about it now. We just have to look forward to the games ahead and try to win as many as we can.”


(houstontexans.com)